Sustainability is embedded in our culture, it’s our way of doing business and we’re using our scale and expertise to support the transition to a low carbon and climate resilient future.
Rethinking Resource Consumption
Key to the transition is improving waste management using resources responsibly and implementing innovative Sustainability Solutions.
Our laboratories are the main users of water due to vital processes involved in removing hazardous air-borne substances from the laboratory. This presents both an opportunity to decrease consumption and the challenge that any sustainability solutions must not impact the delivery of these vital processes.
In 2021 our site in Perth identified a water saving opportunity that could significantly improve our environmental impact and reduce costs, without impacting process delivery. This led to the development of a responsible resource management program at Perth Airport, that has the capacity to be replicated at further SGS Sites.
How We're Saving 25 Olympic Swimming Pools of Water Every Year
The program implemented last year, which involved the introduction of a timing system, has reduced daily water consumption by over 50% and trade wastewater by almost 80%.
The Perth Airport site is one of the largest users of water in Australia, using more than 40,000 KL per annum. Additionally, an enormous amount of water is used in the treatment of trade wastewater prior to its release to the sewer and a significant cost to the business.
“Once we’d identified our inefficiencies, we worked with our contractors to find the most effective way to curb usage without compromising the safe functionality of the units.” Clint Palfrey, Operations Supervisor, Perth Airport.
The project has been an enormous success with combined water savings of around 25 Olympic swimming pools worth of water every year, while saving the business around $185,000 in water usage and waste treatment costs.
“We’re constantly looking to reduce our environmental footprint, and to see that our team is thinking in innovative ways and using sustainable solutions to challenges, is a really promising sign. It shows that sustainability is at the core of what we do at SGS.” Ciara O’Dwyer, Sustainability Officer.
The Way Forward
Sustainability initiatives are not only an environmental imperative due to the risks of inaction, but they can also create those rare win-win scenarios that bring financial and environmental benefits.
Mitigating those risks and identifying the business opportunities is fundamental to how we drive our value to society.
To find out how we can help you create a more responsible, balanced, and sustainable future, view our range of Sustainability Services. To find out more about how we’re accelerating climate action and using resources responsibly download our 2021 Corporate Sustainability Report.
About SGS
We are SGS – the world’s leading testing, inspection and certification company. We are recognized as the global benchmark for quality and integrity. Our 96,000 employees operate a network of 2,600 offices and laboratories, working together to enable a better, safer and more interconnected world.
